SUSAN: BOOK REVIEW "Skybound" by Aleksandr Voinov

SUMMARY:

Germany, 1945. The Third Reich is on its knees as Allied forces bomb Berlin to break the last resistance. Yet on an airfield near Berlin, the battle is far from over for a young mechanic, Felix, who’s attached to a squadron of fighter pilots. He’s especially attached to fighter ace Baldur Vogt, a man he admires and secretly loves. But there’s no room for love at the end of the world, never mind in Nazi Germany.

When Baldur narrowly cheats death, Felix pulls him from his plane, and the pilot makes his riskiest move yet. He takes a few days’ leave to recover, and he takes Felix with him. Away from the pressures of the airfield, their bond deepens, and Baldur shows Felix the kind of brotherhood he’d only ever dreamed of before.

But there’s no escaping the war, and when they return, Baldur joins the fray again in the skies over Berlin. As the Allies close in on the airfield where Felix waits for his lover, Baldur must face the truth that he is no longer the only one in mortal danger.

REVIEW:

I should be angry with Aleksandr Voinov for writing such SHORT "books", not even novellas...pamphlets, maybe. BUT, it would be impossible to be angry with Aleksandr Voinov because he could write ONE sentence and you'd love it, it would be THAT good.

"Skybound" felt like one sentence long...started and ended way too quickly. But it was beautiful. I don't classify it in any one genre (historical, M/M, romance, political)...but rather, a love letter, maybe, written from one to another. Where I'd normally get frustrated that I didn't get to know enough about the characters of Felix and Baldur in such a short read, I feel like I was actually rewarded with simply a strong sense of longing and love between the two. I felt almost voyeuristic into something so intimate shared between glances, clicks of a safety belt, shared cigarettes with much deeper meaning.

IN A NUTSHELL:
All in all, hard to describe how something so short could be so good. But it was...so, so good.  Beautiful and quick read.

SUNNY: BOOK REVIEW "Seduction and Snacks" by Tara Sivec

CHARACTERS: 
Carter, Claire, Liz, Jim, Jenny and Drew

SUMMARY (from Goodreads):
Claire is a twenty-something, single mom that grudgingly helps her best friend sell sex toys while she attempts to make enough money to start her own business to give her foul-mouthed, but extremely loveable (when he’s asleep) toddler a better life. 

When Carter, the one-night-stand from her past that changed her life forever, shows up in her hometown bar without any recollection of her besides her unique chocolate scent, Claire will make it a point that he remembers her this time. 

With Carter’s undisguised shock at suddenly finding out he has a four-year-old son and Claire’s panic that her stretch marks and slim to none bedroom experience will send the man of her dreams heading for the hills, the pair will do whatever they can to get their happily ever after.

REVIEW:
I was intrigued by this book because of the buzz it was getting on Goodreads. I didn’t know what it was about, I just knew that people were talking about it. I love stories about food - Like Water for Chocolate and Eat, Drink, Man, Woman are some of my favorites. Food is sensual. Food can be erotic. 

So, I was a little surprised at what this story is really about best explained by the chapter headings: 
1. Arby’s Anyone?
2. Beer Pong May Cause Pregnancy
3. Have You Seen This Sperm Donor?
4. Sex and Chocolate
5. Snickers Finger Arm Teeth
6. I Got A Big Wiener 

and so on.....

This is the story about a young girl (virgin), Claire, who has a one-night stand at a frat party with a boy, Carter, with whom she has an instant connection. She gets pregnant only to realize she doesn’t even know his name; has the baby; gives up her college career; is given a second chance by her bestfriend to fulfill her dreams; and coincidentally meets up with the baby daddy years later. And it is perfect. For a tough subject, the story is surprisingly poignant. It is genuine and genuinely funny. Most the humor comes from a good old, time-honored place, out of the mouths of babes. Actually it comes from Claire’s four year old toddler, Gavin. With lines like: “Hey, I forgot your name. Can I call you dog poop?” and “Hey, Mommy, Carter has a HUGE wiener,” the laughs come out loud. I still have a stitch in my side from the discussion about “Barney Boner.” 

Balanced with the humor is the story of two people finding and discovering each other as adults. The strong mutual attraction between Claire and Carter, the insecurities of being a single mom and dating a single mom, the challenge of being thrust into parenthood and integrating into a family, are gracefully written by Tara Sivec. And it was just so darn funny. Did I mention that already? 

But what really hooked me were the references to the movies Heathers and The Legend of Billy Jean. Any author who can weave those references into a story, gets me and gets my respect. 

IN A NUTSHELL: 
I love this story. It is sweet (and not just in reference to the title). It is fun and it is highly recommendable.

SUNNY: BOOK REVIEW "Playing to Win" by Jaci Burton

CHARACTERS:
Cole Riley
Savannah Brooks
 
SUMMARY: 
Cole Riley is a hotshot Wide Receiver for a fictional St. Louis Traders NFL team. He’s been recently traded despite having a record season with Green Bay. The problem? He’s got an image problem. His reputation as a hothead, narcissistic, egoist has worked against him. He wants his stats to speak for him, but his defensive reaction to the media has made him a team liability. In comes Savannah Brooks, an image specialist. She is hired by Cole’s new agent, Elizabeth Darnell (from Changing the Game) to rehabilitate his image.

REVIEW
This book is a departure from the previous three in the series. The sexual encounters do not drive this story. Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of hot, steamy scenes, but it doesn’t dominate the narrative. The story is not complicated. Cole and Savannah’s attraction is instantaneous and physical, but they also share a fear of abandonment. Cole doesn’t make friends or put down roots with any team because he feels that the teams he has been on in the past have not fully committed to him. Savannah has a difficult childhood where her neglectful mother has abandoned her. The joy is watching these two figure out this journey together.

Jaci Burton has really hit her stride with this one. One of the most common critiques I have about sports romances is when an author doesn’t do anything with the sports angle. In more than a few stories, the occupation is incidental, not integral. The hero could be a cop, firefighter, soldier, etc. The fact that he/she is an athlete doesn’t mean much to the story except as an occasional filler. Jaci Burton, however, knows how to weave the athlete’s story into the narrative. Granted, there is probably less sports in this story than in her last, but the amount felt right - organic, not contrived. has really hit her stride with this one.
 
IN A NUTSHELL
Jaci Burton has arguably the hottest covers in her Play By Play series.  Really, I think I'd buy the book just for its cover.  Luckily, this book is a great blend of sports and romance. This was a sweet read and I would recommend this to others. I am excited about the next installment, Thrown for a Curve.

SUNNY: BOOK REVIEW "Endgame" by Ann Aguirre

CHARACTERS:

Sirantha Jax

March

Vel

Loras

<Warning:  Spoilers Ahead>

SUMMARY:

Sirantha Jax is on the planet of  La ’heng fulfilling a promise to Loras helping him free his people from the oppressive rule of the Nicuan.  Since being conquered by the outside world, the La'hengrin are poisoned by sedation and are living with the  shinai-bond - a bond that suppresses any aggressive impulse and forces them into submission to whoever "owns" them.  It is a slave colony no matter how "paternalistic" the Nicuan claim to be.  Jax has the cure to release the bond.  After many attempts to get the government to "do the right thing" and distribute the cure, Jax and crew are left with the only option possible - instigate a revolution.  

REVIEW:

The Sirantha Jax series was the first series I read after Harry Potter and the Hunger Games. I cut my Ann Aguirre teeth on Enclave and was seeking another book in which to lose myself. I was thrilled to find stories that were as good as my then favorites, Harry Potter and Katniss Everdeen. 

In past books, Sirantha Jax fights corruption, evil warlords, the terrifying Morguts, and the even the betrayal of one her own. I love Jax’s commitment to do what is right as she hurls herself headlong into the fray. Unfortunately, her willingness to sacrifice all to do the right thing is always at the cost of a loved one. But that’s what makes her life so heartbreaking. It is a sacrifice to those she loves as well. 

But, this is not that book. This is a book about redemption. The redemption of planet La ’heng, the redemption of her relationship with Loras, the redemption of her relationship with March. 

This isn’t the Jax story filled with wild escapes, chases, terrifying creatures and unbearable loss. Despite the fact that the backdrop of this story of is the fight for freedom from the oppressive rule of the Nicuan, it is a love story. There is more romance here than all five previous books combined. It is the reconciliation of Jax and March. And this one is deep. They literally get to the heart of the matter - why it is so difficult to love one another so deeply but keep hurting each other so profoundly? It is also the clarification of the love between Sirantha and Vel. 

Some might claim that Ann Aguirre ties up the end of this series too nicely. Maybe she does. This book does not evoke the roller coaster emotions that is associated with fear and loss as some of the others in the series. Half the time in this book, I was waiting for the other shoe to drop.  In the end, there is no drop dead shocker and really, thank goodness for that. Because when it comes down to it, with everything that Jax has gone through, doesn’t she deserve a happily ever after? I, for one, am not going to begrudge her that. If you are new to Sirantha Jax, I would not recommend starting with this book. It will not accurately represent the heart of the series. Instead this book is truly the concluding episode in the evolution of Sirantha Jax.

MEMORABLE QUOTE:

This is not a love story.

This is about my life, and as such, there is love, loss, war, death, and sacrifice.  It's about things that needed to be done and choices made.  I regret nothing. 

IN A NUTSHELL: 

This is the perfect ending to an amazing journey with Sirantha Jax.  I will miss you, but am so happy you have found your way "home." 

SUSAN: BOOK REVIEW - "Afflicted" by Brandon Shire

SUMMARY:
A high priced male escort and a blind gay man meet by chance. What ensues is a hot, steamy romance by two men looking for something more than a one night stand. But can they reach beyond their own insecurities to grasp what they really desire?

Meet Hunter Stephens. He’s gay, tall, dark haired, and he’s hot. Very hot. But he doesn’t rely on the visual cues when appraising a man because he’s also blind. He listens to the timbre of their voice, trembles at the touch of their skin, and luxuriates in the deep richness of the aroma of man. He’s hard of the hand because he’s a black belt and takes no shit, but soft of the heart because he’s lonely and has been for a while.

Until he meets Dillon.

Dillon Chambers is straight man candy. He’s a high priced male escort that works with an exclusive agency who handles only the wealthiest of clients. But it wasn’t always like that for him. At sixteen he was thrown out of the house for being gay and struggled to survive, turning tricks on the street and finding food and a place to sleep wherever he could. He met two people that changed his life, but he has never met anyone who could change his heart.

REVIEW:
Kudos to you, Brandon Shire. This book was lovely and the way it was written felt LYRICAL.

I really enjoyed the angle of Hunter as a blind lead. The way things were described down to the tiniest detail permeated from the pages. Things we take for granted as "sightlings", had to be written from such a different perspective (smell, touch, sound) that it I almost wished I could have read this book with my eyes closed!

At first, it took some getting used to how VERY descriptive passages were:"...the menagerie of odors that came with the entrance of each group...Vicks VapoRub, deodorized tampons, car grease, Kool Aid, grape chewing gum, sweat, leater, hair grease, more sweat, oranges, the curdle of sour breast milk, urine, Icy Hot, and a whole other host of industrialized miasma he couldn't even name..." (I mean, c'mon...yuck!). 

BUT, it is amazing how once you get used to it, those very details are what placed you smack dab into the middle of Hunter's POV. Suddenly, lines like:"He smelled of feet and armpits and ball sweat and Hunter wanted to taste every single one of those flavors." came across as ROMANTIC! (I wouldn't believe me either...until I read it!)

Dillon's and Hunter's relationship was beautiful and I loved getting to know the trauma and hardships of their pasts and seeing how it manifested into the insecurities for their present and future with each other. Very touching...

IN A NUTSHELL:
If you've never read M/M, this probably isn't the book for you. But, this book is beautiful and it's not only to be read, but to be experienced.  Perfectly dark & light, hard & soft, happy & sad...so good...